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Medicare Making Fewer Improper Payments to Hospices

Hospice News

Medicare fee-for-service programs made $31.23 of improper payments from Medicare in 2023, down from 12% in 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. All told, these efforts reduced improper payments by $28 billion between 2022 and 2023. Hospices received nearly 5.4% Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

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The Role of Medicare Advantage in Growing Palliative Care Services

Hospice News

For the time being, Medicare Advantage may be providers’ best bet for palliative care reimbursement. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also allows Medicare Advantage plans to cover palliative care as a supplemental benefit. This year, the number of MA plans swelled to 3,998 nationwide, up 6% from 2022.

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Medicare Advantage Crackdown Could Dampen Palliative Care Growth

Hospice News

Federal regulators are cracking down on the private insurers that administer Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In 2022, 147 plans offered home-based palliative care across 17 states, a 7% increase in the number of plans compared to the prior year. based research and consulting firm ATI Advisory. trillion and reported total profits of $69.3

Medicare 246
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Quality Data, Cost Control: Hospices’ ‘True North’ in Medicare Advantage

Hospice News

Medicare Advantage plans are connecting the dots between quality scores and care delivery costs. When choosing a hospice to work with, payers in the Medicare Advantage (MA) realm zero in on providers’ quality scores and its patient population growth potential, according to Frontpoint Healthcare CEO Brent Korte.

Medicare 246
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Investigating Medicare Hospice Overpayments

Hospice News

Audits audits by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have proliferated during the past two years, including Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) audits, as well as those by Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPIC), Supplemental Medical Review Contractors (SMRC) and Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC). Hospices received nearly 5.4%

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Federal Officials Call for Stronger Medicare Advantage Oversight

Hospice News

Congressional legislators are casting doubts on regulatory oversight of Medicare Advantage plans over concerns about spending, claims denials, and end-of-life care. Department of Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), and the Government Accountability Office.

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5 Numbers that Shaped Hospice in 2022

Hospice News

Hospice leaders have kept their eyes on four key numbers as 2022 progressed: clinical capacity, length of stay, labor costs and utilization. The workforce shortage had an influence on each one of these indicators, making it perhaps the most significant, though unfortunate, hospice trend of 2022. Clinical capacity. Length of stay.

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